A oneshot songfic. A look into the life of our favorite teenage billionaire, and that wall of pride and priority that he can't seem to climb over. Sometimes you can be truly strong by admitting you aren't.

For a music video that fits this story perfectly, go to YouTube and search for "Not Me Yugioh".

Seto Kaiba sipped the coffee he had purchased from the cafeteria. It tasted horrible, but he gulped it down. He had been up all night finished a proposal for a merger, and now he had to go to school to catch up on what he had missed in his two-week absence on business. He had a company to run, and he could write more challenging tests then what he was assigned. Another year, he would be 18, and this place would be done with him, and he could focus on what really mattered.

You think I've got it all

Everyone thinks I've got it made well

How come my only friends are the ones I pay?

Kaiba continued typing on his laptop. He had an essay due next period after lunch. All the other students had had a week. Kaiba needed an hour. The essay was philosophy, and he was a profound studier of Niche. He heard a grunt, and cast a glance to the side to see the brunette student pick himself up and look down in disgust at his potato-soaked uniform. Duke Devlin, just one of the crew. Kaiba turned back to his work as a voice called Duke's name.

No one understands

What I would do to change my life for just one day

Don't say if I were you

Or tell me what you'd do

Kaiba pretended to focus on his second paragraph as Duke walked behind him to sit down next to Tristan Taylor. Across from the two sat Yugi Muto, Téa Gardner, and Joey Wheeler. Kaiba continued typing, ignoring the greetings as Duke sat down. He noted a speck of gravy on his sleeve from where Duke's lunch had exploded when it hit the ground, and wiped it off on the table.

"So Joey, Tristan told me Serenity was coming for a visit." Duke said. Kaiba frowned slightly. Did they have to talk so loud, didn't they see he was busy? Kaiba cursed the fact the only outlet for his laptop was near their table.

"Watch it Duke, I told ya, ya stay away from 'er." Joey warned. "Serenity can do better den you two chuckleheads." Kaiba smirked slightly. That was amusing, considering the source. Kaiba wouldn't deny that Serenity Wheeler was maturing nicely. He wasn't interested, he had a life, but he wasn't immune to female charms. He just did without them. And for once, he agreed with Joey: Serenity could do better than the creator of a failing dice game, and the only teen in the school with worse hair than Joey's.

Or things would be if

You were in my shoes

Cuz you're not me

"Guys, keep it down." Yugi piped up. "Kaiba's got that essay due after lunch, and you're probably distracting him." Kaiba narrowed his eyes. Of all the people to actually consider him, it had to be the one person he despised. He sipped his coffee again and gagged. He was fairly sure now they had used sour milk, and if they hadn't, he didn't want to know what the source of the foul taste really was.

"C'mon Yug, rich boy doesn't care, it ain't like he's listening." Joey protested. "Besides, knowin' Kaiba he's already done dat essay and doin' a new one on why he's a better duelist den you." Joey and Tristan shared a laugh on that one. Kaiba sneered, thankful he had his back to them. Oh, what he wouldn't give to have something heavy fall on Wheeler right now.

"He's got more than the essay Joey, we have a test in English last period, and Kaiba's been absent the entire time. He'll never pass, and it's worth 10 percent of our final marks." Yugi said. Kaiba scowled. Damn. 10 percent was a percent he couldn't afford to fail on. How the hell was he supposed to pass a test without knowing what it was on?

You know what I need

And it's not another serenade

I get so tired of all the things you say

Kaiba felt a hand on his shoulder, and whirled around. Téa snatched her hand back as Kaiba glared daggers at her.

"Well yeah, it's just that…well, we do have that English test." Téa started. She held out a notebook to Kaiba. "I was just wondering if you'd want to borrow my notes. You know, maybe you can still pass." Kaiba eyed the notebook blankly. This wasn't the first time he had sat near the nerd herd and overheard their conversations. Téa was generally the best studier of the group, and she always listened intently in class. Her notes would be useful, and it would be better then going in with nothing…

So give me what I want

If you only would

I'd gladly throw this all away

"If I wanted your help, I would have asked for it." Kaiba growled, turning his back to her. Téa gave him a frustrated look and sat down.

"We were just trying to help." She mumbled.

"Yeah, look rich boy, we're just tryin' to be nice to ya, you could at least be polite about it. If I were you I'd say I was sorry." Joey agreed. Kaiba snorted.

"I'd rather slip into a comatose state than even entertain the idea of being you, Wheeler." He muttered. Good, he just needed the concluding paragraph. He looked down at his watch. Just enough time to make it to the library and print before his class began.

"What's he gonna do? Besides, I've had enough of his attitude all dis time." Joey replied. Kaiba turned around slightly.

"If you don't mind, I'm busy, so if you want to fight me, do it when I'm not-." Kaiba was cut off as Joey slammed his fist into Kaiba's jaw. Kaiba pitched to the side, his arm catching the screen of his laptop and pulling it off the table as he sprawled onto the ground, his face slamming into the tile. He groaned and felt a warm trickle as a bit of blood came out his nose.

"Is there a problem here Mr. Kaiba?" Kaiba and Yugi looked up as Mr. James looked down on them disapprovingly. Yugi gulped as the vice-principal look over at a shocked Joey. "I don't care if you're a billionaire Mr. Kaiba, but in this school you're still a student, and that means you don't go picking fights when you want to."

"No, wait, it's not like that." Yugi protested. Kaiba looked down at his wristwatch and groaned inwardly. So much for his essay. He'd be late now if he printed it, he'd have to save it to a disk and hand that in.

"So there was no fight here?" Mr. James persisted. Kaiba thought fast. If James found out Wheeler had hit him, they would both be seeing him in his office. He's miss philosophy, and maybe even English.

"I slipped and hit my head on the table." He muttered, getting up. "They were just making sure I was okay." Mr. James narrowed his eyes, but nodded, accepting Kaiba's explanation. After all, why would the apparent victim lie.

"Do I look like I care? It's not like you could hurt me Wheeler." Kaiba snapped, looking down at the warm sensation on his leg. Oh good, he didn't have to finish his coffee. It would probably stain too, which meant he'd have to stop by the office on the way home, order a new uniform since his would never come clean, and in the meantime, wear streetclothes to school and deal with all the irratated teachers.

"Well, its my birthday this weekend, and we wanted to invite you." Téa explained. "You know, unless you're busy." Kaiba thought for a moment. A party. Cake, people, entertainment. He'd have to get her a gift. And in return he'd get a break from the last hellish month of coming back from a two-week conference in New York to a pile-up of school work.

"I have plans." He muttered.

"Really? Because Mokuba's coming, and he said Saturday was your day off." Duke spoke up. Kaiba mentally cursed and made a mental note to have a chat with Mokuba about how his personal life was supposed to be personal.

"Look…" Téa started. "I know you don't like us, but Mokuba said you were busy all week in New York and couldn't even get the time to call him. You don't have to, you know, talk to us or anything if you come. I just think you should take your day off…well, off."

Hey, you were never me

Why can't you see

That you're not me

And once again, friendship reared its head. Kaiba actually started to consider the idea. Swallowing his pride, committing himself to slipping below his A+ average, and having a bit of fun. Granted, he could think of better company than the geek patrol. But Yugi and Téa would at least let him relax, and he was fairly sure the others wouldn't want to talk to him anyway.

"It'll be great." Yugi said. "Téa's parents have rented a cabin up at Mt. Fuji, and it has hot springs, biking, and mountain climbing. Lots to do, or you can just releax." Kaiba always had wanted to see Mt. Fuji. Running a multi-national company didn't leave much time for sight-seeing.

"I don't think so." He said. He picked up his laptop, and cursed at the sight of the smashed screen. So much for his essay.

"Well." Téa slipped a card onto the table. "In that case, give this to Mokuba. The carpool leaves Friday morning at my house, so tell him to bring his suitcase with him. It's actually throughout the weekend and we come home on Sunday night, so tell him to pack a change of clothes too." Kaiba picked up the card.

"Whatever." He said, gathering his things to leave. He had to talk to his philosophy teacher, maybe get an extension on his essay.

"Knowin' him, he'll rip it up and tell Mokuba not to come." He heard Joey say. Téa said something mean in reply, but Kaiba was out the cafeteria doors.

Don't say if I were you

Or tell me what you'd do

Or how things would be if

You were in my shoes

Kaiba sighed and tossed his laptop in the trashcan in the hall. His looked down at the card in his hand with Téa's address and phone number on it. He reflected on the last time he had actually taken time off of work and school to relax. Well, he tried to, but he couldn't remember that far. Kaiba look at his reflection in a display case in the hall. He noted the dark circles under his eyes, and noted as well they would stay for a bit. He had to fax that proposal when he got home, meet with the investors, have his dinner, and finish his essay. That was on top of whatever other trouble came up between now and when he got home.

He slipped Téa's note into his pocket and took out his cellphone. He flipped it open and dialed his office, damning his pride the entire time.

"Mr. Kaiba's office." Roland answered.

"Roland, you're a smart man. What do annoyingly cheerful cheerleaders like for their birthdays?" Kaiba asked. "Oh, and call Mr. Harrington, tell him the Macy's proposal won't be there until Monday, and if he doesn't like it, too bad. I'm going be busy this weekend."

Please help me if you can

This isn't what I planned

But I don't expect that

You can understand

Cuz you're not me

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